What are the worst foods to eat if you have high cholesterol? These items may rival red meat
Cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the world, and what sits on your plate plays a substantial role in whether you’re feeding the problem or fighting it. Cardiologists and dietitians say several familiar staples of the American diet, from red meat to refined carbs, are the ones most likely to push LDL cholesterol in the wrong direction.
“Heart attack and stroke are the most common problems caused by a very high cholesterol level,” says Romit Bhattacharya, MD, a Mass General Brigham cardiologist. “When cholesterol builds up along artery walls, that’s called atherosclerosis, and heart attack and stroke are both typical diseases atherosclerosis can cause.”
What the New Dietary Guidelines Say About High Cholesterol
The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released earlier this year, prompting a detailed response from the American Heart Association. The AHA generally supported the guidelines but flagged concerns about how certain recommendations could be interpreted by consumers, particularly around red meat, sodium and whole-fat dairy.
“The American Heart Association welcomes the new dietary guidelines and commends the inclusion of several important science-based recommendations, notably the emphasis on increasing intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains while limiting consumption of added sugars, refined grains, highly processed foods, saturated fats and sugary drinks,” the organization said in its statement.
The AHA added that it is “concerned that recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease.” While the guidelines highlight whole-fat dairy, the Heart Association encourages low-fat and fat-free dairy products instead.
Bhattacharya puts it bluntly. “High-fat dairy is for growing calves. It’s for growing infants who need cholesterol and fat in their diet to build their brains, their nerves, their bodies. When we’re eating full-fat dairy and meat, we’re ingesting a whole lot of dietary cholesterol, particularly saturated fat, which has consistently proven to increase cholesterol levels. So, message number one is this. Decrease your saturated fat intake to at least less than 10% of your daily calories.”
Red Meat and Processed Meats Top the List of Foods to Limit
Steak, beef roast, ribs, pork chops and ground beef tend to pack high saturated fat and cholesterol content, making them frequent culprits when LDL numbers climb. Population-level research has repeatedly tied red meat, and especially processed red meat, to worse cardiovascular outcomes. Dietitians recommend leaner cuts and smaller portions rather than full elimination for most people.
“Eating red and processed meats regularly may raise LDL and apoB cholesterol, the types that form plaque, impacting overall heart health. Population studies consistently link higher intake of red and especially processed meats with elevated cholesterol, inflammation and increased risk of heart disease,” Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., RD, CDCES, told EatingWell. Better swaps include 90% lean ground beef, sirloin, tenderloin, filet, flank steak, pork loin or pork tenderloin, and lower-fat options like baked skinless poultry.
Processed meats such as salami, bacon, sausage and hot dogs carry extra risks beyond saturated fat. They’re typically loaded with sodium and nitrite preservatives that can raise blood pressure and damage blood vessels. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “The most important risk factor is the saturated fat found in red and processed meat, which increases LDL cholesterol in our blood. Elevated LDL cholesterol results in the buildup of plaque in arteries around the body, classified as heart disease when this occurs in the arteries supplying blood to the heart.”
Fried Foods and Baked Goods That Quietly Raise LDL
The oil used for frying is often rich in saturated fats, and when oil is reused, as is common in restaurant fryers, it can lose unsaturated fat content and develop trans fats instead. That’s why fried chicken, mozzarella sticks and onion rings consistently land on the avoid list for anyone managing high cholesterol.
“Foods that have taken a dip in the deep fryer, like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings are among the worst when it comes to cholesterol. Frying increases the energy density, or calorie count of foods,” Harvard Health says. “If you love the crunch of fried food, use an air fryer and toss your food in a little bit of olive oil. Or bake foods like potato wedges and chicken at a high temperature until they’re golden brown.”
Baked goods are the other sneaky offender. “Pastries, pies, biscuits and cakes contain a lot of saturated fat from added butter or palm oil. Meaty or cheesy pie fillings can add even more. Choosing pies with only a top crust, whether sweet or savory, can cut saturated fat by 40 percent,” the British Heart Foundation says.
Dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, told Cleveland Clinic that “desserts can often get a bad rap when it comes to heart health because most store-bought desserts are loaded with processed sugars, like high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat or even trans fat like vegetable shortening.”
Fast Food, Refined Carbs and Other Everyday Foods to Watch
Fast food combines several cholesterol-raising ingredients into one convenient package, including saturated fat, sodium, refined carbs and added sugars. Bacon cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches and sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches are routine examples. Sugary drinks compound the problem.
“If people are regularly eating fast food or food from places like gas stations or having a lot of soda or pop in their diet, that’s where I usually start because those foods are closely related to heart disease,” Jeremy Van’t Hof, MD, a preventive cardiologist with M Health Fairview and an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School, said. He recommends keeping daily sodium under 2,000 mg, noting that “sodium can raise blood pressure, which is one of the most impactful risk factors for heart disease. Most people don’t feel when they have high blood pressure, so they might be living with it for many years.”
Refined carbohydrates, including white bread, sugary cereals, crackers and dishes built on white flour like pizza and chicken alfredo, drive cholesterol up through a different pathway. “Simple sugars like white bread can actually prompt our livers to produce more LDL cholesterol and may also lower the amounts of HDL cholesterol in our blood,” Gabrielle Gambino, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, senior clinical dietitian with the Advanced Heart Failure Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, told The Healthy.
NKH Health echoes the warning, noting that “Highly processed and refined carbs, such as white bread, sugary cereals and crackers, can cause your liver to produce extra cholesterol. Try to limit these foods and eat them in small to moderate portions.”
How to Lower High Cholesterol With the Right Foods
The good news for anyone trying to get their numbers down is that the fix doesn’t require deprivation, just a shift toward plants and fiber. Bhattacharya argues the math is simple, because plants don’t manufacture cholesterol, so loading up on them moves your diet in the right direction by default.
“Plants basically don’t make cholesterol,” Bhattacharya explains. “So, if you’re worried about cholesterol, eating plants is going to help. And among plants, high fiber content is important. It cleans out your gut, it allows you to detoxify, it feeds your gut microbiome in a healthy way, and it can help prevent cholesterol from absorbing into your bloodstream.”
The AHA’s broader guidance lines up, encouraging people to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats, and limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow. “When we think about the ways that we can prevent cardiovascular disease, which kills more people globally than anything else, controlling your cholesterol and blood pressure are key,” Bhattacharya says.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
